aceskiandboardclub.org

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To get an extra door prize ticket, bring a backpack! Or any school supplies worth at least $5 like pocket dictionaries, calculators, three-ring binders, filler paper…

General Membership Meeting September 9

Driving over Susten Pass. Switzerland, by Beatrice Chaney

Location: The General Meeting of the ACE Ski and Board Club will be September 9 at the Chelmsford Elks Lodge in Chelmsford, MA. Doors open at 6:30. Meeting starts at 7:00.

Meeting Highlights: Kevin Kieley will be our

featured speaker to talk about racing and activities

at Crotched Mountain. Kevin has an impressive

resume as Race Director at Crotched Mountain,

NASTAR pacesetter, USSA Certified Coach,

Division #1 College Racing and former NASTAR

National Champion.

Newsletter Highlights

Club News/Club Officers 2,3

Benefits Committee Update 3

Recap of February Meeting 4

Winter Trips 7

Club Activities 7

Membership Information 8

Yahoo and Google Groups 9

Links and Forms 9

ACE/EICSL News 10

Recreational Racing 10

The Newsletter of the ACE Ski & Board Club Volume 25 Issue 1

September 2014

ACE Ski & Board News

2

Important ACE Club Dates 2014–15

General

Meetings

Board

Meetings

EICSL Races

September 9 August 26 TBD

October 29 October 14 TBD

December 11 November 18 TBD

February 12 January 20 TBD

Meeting Location The general meeting on September 9 will be at the

Elks Lodge in Chelmsford

300 Littleton Rd

Chelmsford, MA 01824

www.elks.org - Lodge #2310

Directions from the North:

Take 495 South to exit 34, and then merge onto

Rte 110 West/Chelmsford St toward Rte 4. Turn

right onto 110 West/ 4 North/Central Square.

Continue to follow 110 West. The Elks Lodge will

be on your left in about 4 minutes.

From the South:

Take 495 North to exit 32 for Boston Rd. Turn

right onto Boston Rd. After a few lights, turn left

onto Rte110/Littleton Rd (signs for

Chelmsford/Lowell)

The Elks Lodge will be on your right after about 5

minutes.

From the East or West:

Get to 495 and then follow the above directions, or

use your GPS

Here’s hoping for another great

winter, with lots of snow!

*Ullr: Old Norse god Patron Saint of skiers

ACE Club Officers

Jonathan Levy President

Robin Temple Diamond Vice-president and

Race Chair

Betty Ann Tyson Secretary

Dana Blanchard Treasurer

Michèle Grenier Membership Chair

Rob and Ilene Titus Benefits Co-chairs

Chuck Riley EICSL Representative

Ryan Conway Webmaster

Beatrice Chaney Newsletter Editor

President’s Message

Welcome back! Ullr* was again quite kind to us last

winter. Hopefully, we will be in his good graces again.

The Farmers' Almanac thinks so.

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Chuck Riley, our

new EICSL representative. The Club has two votes at

EICSL meetings, so we're still looking for a second rep.

Also, please welcome our Vice President, Robin

Diamond to the additional role of Race Chair. We

thank Gerry Welch for his loyal years of service as

Chair, and his many, many years as a racer. Gerry will

be helping Robin as she transitions into this additional

role.

The Club is offering two trips this year: The EICSL-

sponsored Jay Peak/Seasons' Pass December Trip, and a

TBD Western trip. Stay tuned for a trip announcement!

We're also offering our usual benefits of interesting

meeting speakers, discounted lift tickets, racing, EICSL

benefits, and the opportunity to win great raffle prizes

at the General Meetings.

The club is completely run by volunteers. We have no

paid staff. We have evolved from a company-based

club to a non-profit corporation, recognized by both the

Commonwealth and the IRS.

The club can do more, but it takes more volunteers to

do it. Think about volunteering for OUR ski club.

We have critical openings for a Meetings Chair,

Marketing Chair and Snowboard Chair. Speak to me

at a meeting or send an email if interested.

3

Hello to Chuck Riley, Our New EICSL Rep

Chuck Riley is our new liaison to EICSL, the

organization that provides us with opportunities for

racing, low cost accommodation in the Mount

Washington Valley, access to the EICSL Socials, and

access to discounted lift tickets not available (or sold

out) from our Benefits Committee.

He's a good guy to know! If you have joined EICSL,

he will be getting you your EICSL ID Card, important

for obtaining EICSL discounts, both up in the Valley

and down here in MA, as well as mandatory for

gaining access to an EICSL Social (along with an

Invitation). See the EICSL article for more details.

Welcome to the Executive Board, Chuck!

Benefits Committee Update

Discount Tickets In July and August, the Club

through Benefits conducted a mail sale of Vermont

Tickets. A deposit of at least 50% of the total price

was due at the time of the sale. The balance is due by

November 1, 2014 by check or money order made out

to Ace Ski and Board Club. Payment may be brought

to the General Meeting on September 9, 2014 or

mailed to Ilene Titus, P.O. Box 392, Southborough,

MA 01772. If you do not remember your balance due

or what you ordered, email IleneTitus@charter.net

and you will be emailed a PDF of your order form.

You may purchase additional tickets at the General

Meeting on September 9, 2014. Order forms for

Vermont Tickets will be available at that time. You

must attend the meeting to purchase tickets in this

sale. Some Vermont Mountains are sold out and there

are limited quantities of other Vermont Mountains so

come to the General Meeting for the best opportunity

to get the tickets you want.

Restrictions for Vermont are currently 16 ticket

maximum with no more than 2 tickets from any one

mountain. After the September 9th

meeting, there will

be an email ticket sale on a first come, first serve

basis with confirmation by return email. Restrictions

on the purchase of Vermont Mountains will continue

to apply. Remaining tickets will go on sale at the

October and December meetings.

Notices from Benefits Other than those sales at

General Meetings, all further 2014-2015 ticket sales

will be announced by email with instructions as to

how to place an order. There will be no notices sent

by regular mail, so keep your email current with the

Membership Chair.

Wachusett Mountain GPS Club Benefits is

participating in the Wachusett Mountain GPS

“Greatest Possible Savings!” club.

To sign up for a Wachusett Mountain GPS Club –

Century Pass:

Go to www.wachusett.com Click on Group Sales - In

the drop down menu - click on GPS Club - Move

your cursor to right to click on GPS Order on Line -

Click on the pass you want to purchase - Enter your

information.

The Group Name is Ace Ski and Board Club and the

Group Coordinator is Ilene Titus. One does not

have to be an ACE Ski and Board Club member to

join our GPS group.

Robert and Ilene Titus

Benefits Co-Chairs

P.O. Box 392

Southborough., MA 01772

ilenetitus@charter.net

Bring Backpacks or School Supplies

For an extra chance door prize ticket,

please bring new, not used, school

supplies to the September 9 meeting,

especially backpacks, or items for older

children such as pocket dictionaries,

calculators or three-ring binders.

Thanks for the Food

Thanks to all the members who brought

food donations to the last meeting. Your

donations went to Loaves and Fishes Food

Pantry in Devens, MA.

4

Recap of February’s General Meeting

The February meeting was a little more sparsely

attended than others, as is usual at this time of year.

However, as Jon Levy pointed out in his

introduction, there were more chances for the

attendees to win a prize!

Jon announced several openings on the club's board:

a marketing chair, a racing chair to be trained by

outgoing chair Gerry Welch, and a vice president.

He then showed a video he took with a Go Pro

camera mounted on his helmet while skiing down the

Polecat trail at Wildcat Mountain, NH. The

conditions were quite challenging that day, with

rutted moguls not typical of Polecat, which is

ordinarily rated as a green trail. The weather was

sunny and beautiful though, with stunning views of

Mount Washington. All along you could see Jon's

ghost shadow skiing down the mountain with the

camera visible on his head, with occasional glimpses

of Dana Blanchard flitting by.

Robin Diamond made a number of announcements

and proposed some ideas for summer activities.

The featured speaker of the evening was Peter

Nelson of the Friends of Tuckerman Ravine

www.friendsoftuckermanravine.org .

Peter described some of the activities sponsored by

the organization: for example, volunteers help to

maintain the John Sherburne trail, which descends

from the foot of the headwall down to Pinkham

Notch. They clean up and repair hiking trails after

major storms such as Sandy. Last year they built two

new avalanche kiosks, which post avalanche forecasts

and warn skiers of dangerous conditions. More

volunteers are needed!

Tuckerman Ravine is a great spot for spring skiing,

long after all the region's ski resorts have closed,

sometimes as late as June! It is a historic place,

known as a cradle of extreme skiing in the U.S.A.

On April 12, the organization featured a grueling

race, the Inferno Pentathlon, which could be entered

by individuals, duos, or teams of 5. This extremely

difficult event consisted of an 8 mile run followed by

6 miles of kayaking, then biking 18 miles to Pinkham

Notch, running up Mount Washington and skiing

down Tuckerman Ravine!!! More than 200 racers

signed up for the challenge.

A “toned down” version of the race replaced the

Mount Washington leg with running up Wildcat

Mountain and skiing down the Wildfire trail.

Peter Nelson talks about Tuckerman Ravine

Joining the Friends of Tuckerman Ravine will get

you a free ski ticket for the special (tax-deductible)

price of $35 for ACE Club members, ordinarily $50.

The friends also organize joint parties with ski clubs

for fundraising and to rally support for the ravine

among skiers. They plan periodic trips to destinations

such as Chamonix, France, known as a center for

extreme skiing in the Alps. Every profit is put back

into the mountain. Members also provide advice and

guidance for people interested in going into the

ravine, such as how to prepare, etc.

An exciting project is under way by film students

from Emerson College in Boston to make a

documentary of Tuckerman Ravine in ways not yet

captured. Any donations to support this film project

are welcome!

Finally, Peter showed an impressive video of skiers

and snowboarders hiking up and skiing or riding

down the ravine, including some spectacular falls and

illustrating the incredible power of avalanches.

Always pay attention to avalanche warnings!

5

February 2014 Door Prize Winners

Jeff Tobin Jacket

Ryan Conway Boot Bag

Mary Stillson Boot Bag

Jean O’Donnell Goggles

Vince Mattock Goggles

Mary Mattock Base Layer, 2 Burke Mountain

Rick Under Armour and Foot Warmers

Bethany Karcher 2 Bromley, Toe and Hand

Warmers

Bryan Woods 2 Mad River tickets

Rob Titus Jr. Socks and Toe Warmers

Ilene Titus Socks and Toe and Hand Warmers

Leta Markham Socks and Toe and Hand Warmers

Jack Socks and Toe and Hand Warmers

Marcia Ruklic Toe and Hand Warmers

Greg Ruklic Toe and Hand Warmers

Roscoe Diamond Toe and Hand Warmers

Carlos Herpin Toe and Hand Warmers

Jean O’Donnell

Mary Stillson

Jeff Tobin

Jon Levy

Robin Diamond

6

LOTS OF

Greg and Marcia Ruklic

HAND AND TOE

Roscoe Diamond

WARMERS

Leta Markham

Members Listening

7

Winter Trips 2014-2015

EICSL Trip to Jay Peak, December 2014

As in previous years, EICSL is offering an early

season trip to Jay Peak on December 16-21, 2014 or

December 18-21, 2014. Contact your EICSL Rep

for details.

Trip Out West, Winter 2015

by Ryan Conway

Where would you like to go?

Jackson Hole, Snowbird, Big Sky, Mt. Bachelor, or

Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine in Canada?

Send your thoughts and suggestions to Ryan!

Club Activities

Sun Valley, Idaho, March 4 – 11, 2014

by Michèle Grenier

ACE members had lots of fun in Sun Valley! It

started out with a scenic three hour bus ride from

Boise, Idaho. We arrived to a ski-in-ski-out condo

around 4 PM Tuesday March 4, with a 6 day ski

ticket, a deal as the window ticket is $99 a day. It

had snowed 10 inches the night before we arrived.

With the mountain’s automated snow making the

lower elevations were completely covered and

higher elevations had lots of snow.

Ric West & Beth Karthe

The runs are steep, most at a 45 degree angle; there

were bowls, woods. We enjoyed sitting on the decks

in the sun and had great dinners in our condo. It was

nice to swim and relax in a large outdoor heated pool

after skiing.

Sue Trent, Leta Markham, Ann Bedell, Beth Karther, Michèle Grenier

We took a free bus that ran on the half hour to

Kethum and to the Sun Valley Lodge area. There

we saw a year round,

outdoor, Olympic size

ice rink, where Olympic

skaters put on summer

shows, and an indoor

rink where Olympic

skaters practice year

round. We had sunny

days, cloudy days and

even a rainy night and

day (sort of felt like New

England).

Round House Restaurant around mid-mountain

The lodges in the Sun Valley area are spectacular,

with large stone fireplaces and columns.

Summer Ice Cream Social

A small but dedicated group trekked to Kimball

Farms in Westford for the club's annual ice cream

social.

8

Membership Update Michèle Grenier, Membership Chair

membership@aceskiandboardclub.org

Dear Members,

Now it is time to sign up or renew your ACE Ski and

Board membership!

You can download membership forms from the ACE

website at www.aceskiandboardclub.org/membership/

and then send your completed form and dues

(checks, no cash) to:

Michèle Grenier

ACE Ski and Board Club

46 Kelly Road

Dracut, MA 01826

If you are a PayPal user, just send your payment to

payments@aceskiandboardclub.org.

If you are paying by PayPal you will need to

complete the membership process by sending your

signed form to the above address, or you may scan

and email it to membership@aceskiandboardclub.org,

or bring it in person to any general meeting.

I will email you a confirmation that I received your

membership application.

You may also sign up or renew your membership at

every general meeting.

New and renewing primary members will be

automatically added to the club's “Members Only”

new Google Group (formerly Yahoo!Group) unless

they explicitly request not to be included. This

“Members Only” Google Group will be used to

disseminate club news and announcements.

What the ACE Ski & Board Club Does

Encourages camaraderie and enjoyment of skiing

and riding

Encourages and promotes an active recreational

race program

Provides availability of reasonably priced tickets

Encourages participation in skiing in new and

exotic places

Promotes a greater knowledge of ski/board

techniques, ski resorts, and technical knowledge

of skiing and snowboarding

Brief History of the Club

25+ years old – the former Digital Ski Club

Became the ACE Ski & Board Club, a Compaq

employee club, in 1998

Became a MA Chapter 180 nonprofit

corporation, and an IRS 501(c) 7 organization in

2003

Members are adult fans of skiing and

snowboarding in the greater New England area

including some former Digital, Compaq, Intel,

Cabletron, and Hewlett Packard employees

An original EICSL club (Eastern Inter Club Ski

League)

Benefits of Membership

Newsletter published four times a year

Discount lift tickets

Social meetings with presentations on aspects of

skiing and boarding

Active race program

Occasional ski trips to the west or Europe and to

Northern New England

Member organized day trips to New Hampshire /

Vermont

Some shop discounts

Timely information on coupons, special discount

days and other deals

Cross-country skiing outings

Summer activities: cycling, hiking, camping trips

Google Groups and Yahoo!Groups distribution

lists; see details

Optional EICSL membership

Opportunities for family member racing

Eligibility to win gear worth over $ 2,000 at

general meetings

For details on winter trips, tickets, EICSL, racing, meetings and membership, see the club’s website:

www.aceskiandboardclub.org

9

Members-only Google Group

For the upcoming season the Club has moved the

members-only list from Yahoo!Groups to Google

Groups to disseminate club news and announcements.

Members-only Yahoo!Groups emails will be

discontinued on or about Sept 30th

2014.

New and renewing members will automatically be

added to the club’s “Members Only” Google Group,

unless they explicitly request not to be included.

Family/Associate members will also be included

automatically if an email address was provided on their

membership form. If you are not receiving emails,

please contact the Membership Chair at

membership@aceskiandboardclub.org

To unsubscribe from Google Group and stop receiving

emails from it, send an email to: aceskiandboardmembers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to:

aceskiandboardmembers@googlegroups.com.

It is necessary that you be on this “Members Only” list

to hear about benefits, newsletters and late breaking

deals that the club offers.

NOTE: Renewing members from last year may not

receive an email depending on when they renewed. If

you are a primary member (Full or Basic) and are not

receiving any news or information from the club,

please send mail to the Membership Chair at

membership@aceskiandboardclub.org.

General Yahoo!Group

We will continue to use the club’s General

Yahoo!Group for open communication with each

other; asking if others want to organize a last-minute

ski trip, find some extra ski tickets, or pass on tickets

that you cannot use and other public information.

At this point in time, the Yahoo!Groups Calendar will

continue to be used to send out reminders about

upcoming meetings and trips.

BTW: The Club could use a helper to keep the

calendar up to date! Contact a board member if

interested.

ALL Members are encouraged to subscribe to the

General Yahoo!Group’s distribution list.

To subscribe - very easy - just send email to:

ACESkiandBoardClub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To post to this group, send email to:

aceskiandboardclub@yahoogroups.com

To unsubscribe, send email to:

aceskiandboardclub-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

To join this group and create a Yahoo! Profile, go to: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/AceSkiandBoardClub/

Click on “Join This Group!” and follow the instructions.

With a Yahoo! Profile you’ll be able to post

photographs of your latest ski trip and view other

members’ photographs and documents. You can also

edit your preferences to get each individual email as it

is sent out, or as a daily digest, or as web-only.

Both of the club’s Google Groups and Yahoo!Groups are

private and not listed in the respective groups’ directory.

Membership to these Groups is restricted - all group

members must be approved. As a Google Groups or

Yahoo!Groups member you can send out messages to the

whole group. However - to avoid Spam - all messages

are approved before they are released.

Updating your email address

Please let membership know ASAP if your email

address changes from when you filled out your

Membership form, so that you continue to receive

the latest news and updates from the club.

If you need any help, send email to the Membership

Chair at membership@aceskiandboardclub.org

Links and Forms

The club’s website www.aceskiandboardclub.org no

longer has a members-only area. Instead, look for news

about coupons, special discount days and deals in your

members-only email.

Membership: www.aceskiandboardclub.org/membership/

Tickets:

www.aceskiandboardclub.org/membership/tickets/

Trips: www.aceskiandboardclub.org/membership/trips/

Racing:

www.aceskiandboardclub.org/membership/racing/

Newsletters: www.aceskiandboardclub.org/newsletters/

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/aceskis

10

ACE/EICSL Update

Haven't skied in the last couple of years? Last couple

of decades? Never skied at all? What's your excuse?

No money? No time? No skis? Whatever your reasons,

we've got an answer.

The Eastern Inter-Club Ski League (EICSL), which

began in 1950 as a small group of ski clubs, is an

organization comprised of clubs with over 1,200

members. Don't let those numbers scare you. Each of

the clubs has anywhere from 25 to 150 members and

likes to keep things as intimate and family-like as

possible.

Each individual club has its own elected board of

directors and numerous committees to take care of the

needs of its members. EICSL binds all clubs together.

EICSL' s most important function, according to John

Bycina, Past President (1998-2000) of EICSL, is "to

help clubs communicate and to obtain benefits for a

large group such as a race program, social activities

and discount tickets."

Once a member, perks like 10% off purchases from

certain merchants and restaurants in the North Conway

area plus - the important thing - discounted lift tickets

are organized by EICSL. This year's deals included

discounted tickets at Mount Cranmore and Wildcat.

Because the clubs are centrally located in the Mount

Washington Valley, mountains like Wildcat, Attitash

and Sunday River in Maine are all within an hour from

the clubs. Most people decide the night before where

they'll be skiing and share rides the next morning.

Although ACE doesn't have a lodge, we have standing

agreements with a few clubs if you are interested in

staying at their house as a guest. Cost is very low

(about $25/night), so don't expect the Marriott.

This year the ACE Ski & Board Club would like to

invite YOU- to join EICSL as well. For just $10 per

member in addition to your ACE Membership dues

you can take advantage of all the discounts - but most

important - the social atmosphere!

Join today! Email Chuck Riley, ACE Ski and Board

EICSL Chair @ slohand53@gmail.com to inquire.

Don't forget to put EICSL in the subject line.

All EICSL applications are due by Oct 31, 2014.

There is a strict adherence to this policy and

applications will not be accepted after this date.

ACE/EICSL Racing 2014–2015 Robin Temple Diamond, 2014-2015 Race Chair

Stay tuned for this season’s race program in the next

newsletter!